Water-tight bulkhead for submarines and other submersible vessels



June 9, 1925.

E. SCHNEIDER WATER TIGHT BULKHEAD FOR SUBMARINES AND OTHER SUBMERSIBLE VESSELS Filed June 29, 1923 Patented June 9, 1925.

UNITED STATES EUGENE soHNEInER, 0F PARIS, FRANCE, ASSIGNOR '10 SCHNEIDER cc 01E,

PATENT omen.

0F PARIS.

FRANCE, A LIMITED JOINT L EGGK COMPANY OF FRANCE.

WATER-TIGHT BULKHEAD roitsUBMaEm s AND OTHER snBMEnsIBLE VESSELS.

Application filed- June 29, 1923. Serial No. 648,557.

sels designed for submersion, are required to prevent all entrance of Water into certain compartments, when other parts of the vessel have been invaded by the sea. These bulkheads are either flat or convex.

Convex bulkheads are capable of resisting pressure acting indifferently on one side i or the other of the bulkhead, and the rivets connecting these bulkheads to the pressure- -resisting hull will always be under shear.

On the other hand, flat bulkheads, owing to the nature of their construction, require to be strengthened by reinforcements generally constituted by girders or beams against which the pressure is. arranged to have a tendency to press the flat bulkhead. Owing to the great load pressing against these bulkheads which are intended to, resist the same pressures as the resisting hull, the said reinforcements must have relatively considerable dimensions in the direction of the strains; The result is that behind these re intorced flat bulkheads, the space occupied by the reinforcements are not suitable for accommodating ship appliances of bulky nature.

Spherical bulkheads, although they can dispense with reinforcements have'likewise the drawback of constituting obstructions which prevent the space behind the bulkhead from being utilized for bulky ship appliances, since the length of said space is measured by the height or depth of the arc ofthe spherical segment.

The present invention has for its object to provide an improved. construction of strong water-tight bulkheads wherein all the above mentioned drawbacks are done away with.

According to this invention each bulkhead is combined or connected with compartments of which the bulkhead forms at least one wall element, and which compartments can serve as store rooms'or tanks for the storing of water, oil, combustible liquid, etc. y

Two examples of the ap ilication and execution of the invention are illustrated in the accompanying drawings in which:

Figures 1 and 2 are respectively anelevation and a section taken along the line 2+2 of Figure 1, of an example of the ap plication of this invention to a flatbulkhead. i

Figures 3 and 4 are respectively an elevation and a section taken along the line 4.4 of Figure 3, of the application of the invention to a bulkhead having the form of a spherical segment.

In these figures, A is the stifi' hull of the ship. According to this invention, the bulkhead proper B, bearing against the uprights a is combined with con'ipartinents D formed for example between itself and a parallel bulkhead C, which latter niay'have less strength than or the same strength as the bulkhead B, according as it is arranged that the pressure shall act exclusively in the direction of the arrow 1, orindifiierently in the directions of either of the. arrows 1 and2. 1 f

It is to be understood that the compartments 1) will not occupy the whole of the surface of the bulkheadB, They will leave, vacant spaces preferably at the centre for the provision of a door E. The associated bulkheadsyB and C may bereinforced by iqn-ights b and 0 respectively, which may be strutted or stayed to ether bothtin the vertical and horizontal irections. I

It is to be understood that as in the case in the illustrated example, a continuous annular compartment may be provided, or this compartment may be sub-divided by means of bulkheads or other partitions, and

if desired, communications may be provided between the compartments together with suitable isolating devices.

In the example illustrated in Figures and .4 a convex main bulkhead B having for instance the shape of a spherical seg-' ment, is associated or combined with the compartments D, D formed on either side of the said bulkhead and limited for. ex

ample by auxiliary bulkheads C,G1 which Having now particularly described and fill ascertained the nature of my said invention and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I claim is 1. In a bulkhead structure, the combination of a main bulkhead, a flat auxiliary bulkhead disposed adjacent the main bulkhead and of less strength than the latter, a tubular bulkhead providing a passageway through the structure, and a closure for one end of said passageway.

2. In a bulkhead structure, the co1nbina.

and provided with alined openlngs, an an-- nular bulkhead secured to the main and auxihary bulkheads adJacent sald openings and providing a passageway through the structure, compartments disposed aroundthe annular passageway between said main and auxiliary bulkheads, and a door for closing one end of said passageway.

4:.In a bulkhead structure, the combina tion of a substantially circular main bulkhead provided with a central opening, reinforcing means therefor comprising compartments disposed around said opening on one face of the bulkhead, asubstantially circular flat auxiliary bulkhead of less strength than the main bulkhead providing one wall for each of said compartments, said auxiliary bulkhead having a central opening, an annular bulkhead enclosed by the compartments and alined with said openings to provide a passageway through the structure, and a closure for said passageway.

5. A bulkhead structure comprising a concavo-convex bulkhead, a flat auxiliary bulkhead, compartments disposed between the bulkheads, a tubular bulkhead enclosed by said compartments and providing a passageway through the structure, and a 010 sure for said passageway.

6. A bulkhead structure comprising a concavo-convex bulkhead, a flat auxiliary bulkhead of less strength than said first named bulkhead, a tubular bulkhead providing a passageway through the structure, compartments disposed around the passageway between the two first named bulkheads, and a closure for said passageway.

7. A bulkhead structure comprising a concavo-convex bulkheadland a pair of flat auxiliary bulkheads, one at each side of said concavo-convex bulkhead.

specification.

8. A bulkhead structure comprising a concavo-convex bulkhead, and a pair of fiat auxiliary bulkheads, one at each side of said concavo-convex bulkhead and each of less strength than the latter.

9. A bulkhead structure comprising a concavo-convex bulkhead, and reinforcing ,means for said bulkhead comprising compartments each having one wall provided by the bulkheadand an opposite wall comprised by a flat auxiliary bulkhead.

10. A bulkhead structure comprising a concavo-convex bulkhead, and reinforcing means for said bulkhead comprising compartments at each side of the bulkhead, each compartment having one wall provided by the bulkhead and an opposite wall comprised by a flat auxiliary bulkhead.

11. A bulkhead structure comprising a concavo-convex bulkhead, a pair of fiat auxiliary bulkheads one at each side of said concavo-convex bulkhead, and compartments disposed between said bulkheads.

12. A bulkhead structure comprising a conca-vo-convex bulkhead provided with a passageway, a flat auxiliary bulkhead at one side of said concavo-convex bulkhead and having an opening registering with said passageway, compartments disposed between said bulkheads, and a closure for said passageway.

13. A bulkhead structure comprising a passageway, compartments disposed between said bulkheads, and a closure for said passageway.

15. A bulkhead structure comprising a concavo-convex bulkhead provided with a passageway, and reinforcing means for said bulkhead consisting of a' plurality of compartments disposed around said passageway on each side of the bulkhead. each compartment having one wall provided by said bulkhead and an opposite wall comprised by a flat auxiliary bulkhead, having an opening registering with said passageway, and a closure for the passageway.

In testimony whereof I have signed this EUGENE SCHNEIDER.

Witnesses ANDRE MOSTIOKER, Loms GARDET. 

